Representing Australia at the 2017 World Para-alpine Skiing Championships in Tarvisio, Italy

Bio

Up-and-coming Para-alpine skier Patrick Jensen and his sighted guide Lara Falk are ones to watch in the lead-up to the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

Initially aiming to debut at Beijing 2022, the duo have been working hard to achieve genuine medal contender status for PyeongChang 2018, gaining crucial international experience at the 2017 IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, where they posted career-best scores in the men’s Giant Slalom and Super-G to finish third in both events.

Off the back of these results, Patrick and Lara made their World Championships debut at the 2017 World Para-alpine Skiing Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, a moment which ranks among the highlights of Patrick’s still early career. There they clocked a combined time of 1:47.91 to place ninth in a competitive field of 29 in the Slalom.

First hitting the slopes in 2013 at a Disabled Wintersport Australia camp, Patrick soon made a name for himself in Para-alpine skiing circles, debuting for Australia that same year at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Thredbo, New South Wales.

Outside of training and competition, Patrick, who was diagnosed with macular dystrophy and Stargardt disease at the age of seven, enjoys surfing, skateboarding, and playing the drums and guitar. He is the drummer of Newcastle-based skramz band George Booth.

The Birmingham Gardens local is currently studying massage therapy at Evolve College, and is considering a career in physiotherapy after PyeongChang 2018.

In 10 years’ time, Patrick hopes to have won a World Cup Crystal Globe in more than one discipline.